Is It Done Already?

This is my second year to Slice.  I remember being so nervous the first year.  Could I really blog everyday?  Would I have time to blog everyday?  Would I have time to read three other blogs I don't normally read?  The answer was yes too all three questions.

But still when this March approached I started questioning myself. I could blog everyday? And the answer is still yes.

I helped myself by deciding on a topic to write about everyday, although I still haven't come up with anything for Friday and Saturday.

Then I blogged.  I just did it.

I learn so much about myself during this month.  I learn so much from reading other people's blogs. Not just about them but about how to make my writing better.

As this year's Slice comes to an end I plan to still blog daily.  That's my goal.  I should probably write that as a IEP objective, "On a daily bases, Linsey will blog 26 out of 30 days a month with no more than 1 error per 5 blog posts."  Ah, that brought me back to my Deaf Ed days.

It's been nice meeting y'all.  I hope you've enjoyed your stay.  I know I enjoyed getting to know y'all!

Today I am thankful I met y'all, read your blogs, and learned from y'all.

My Nephew

My nephew is hilarious.  He's four years old.  He loves Reagan and his Unkin Jay (he couldn't say uncle when he was little and unkin has just stuck).  He tolerates me because I come with Reagan and Unkin Jay.

Jay and Reagan eat this up!  Most kids love me but not my nephew. Ha!

Jay and Reagan like to ask him who his favorite is, he always says Unkin Jay and Reagan.  Even Nana gets moved down the list when these two are there.

This past week Jay asks him who his favorite was.  Instead of just naming Jay and Reagan like usual, this time he adds "I know Aunt Linsey brought me the presents but you and Reagan are still my favorite."  Seriously, how do you know laugh at that?

Reagan took this picture.

He's also doing this new thing where he says "Thumbs up if you like my new look."  He cocks his head to the side, cuts his little eyes, and puts his thumb in the air.  So stinkin' cute!  So Unkin Jay copied him.  Ryan hollers, "NO! That's my new look!" For real, rolling on the floor laughing.

It's fun to have a little one running around.  They say and do the funniest things. I'm thankful this little boy is in my life.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've read a lot of picture books last week.  I got two orders from Junior Library Guild back to back (probably because of Spring Break).  I read my way through those boxes.

You Never Heard of Casey Stengel?! by Jonah Winter
I really enjoyed this book.  Jay is a huge baseball fan and I really like baseball too, so I enjoyed reading about this player turned coach.  It was interesting to see him go from bad to great.

Dylan the Villain by K.G. Campbell
This was a cute book about "normal" parents having a villainous son.  The illustrations were really detailed.

Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead
Honestly, I didn't think I was going to like this book when I started it but it drew me in.  I liked how it started with writers block and ended up being a story in and of itself.

The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank's Window by Jeff Gottesfeld
This book made me sad.  Really anything related to Anne Frank makes me sad.  The story was told from a trees point of view.  It was quiet interesting.

Wet Cement: A Mic of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka
I cannot wait to read this one to my students.  The lines of the drawings are the words of the poem.  It is so creative!

Buddy and Earl Go Exploring by Maureen Fergus
This was a funny tale of a pet dog and guinea pig and the adventures they go on one night.

Get a Hit, Mo! by David A. Adler
This was a sweet story about a boy learning to play baseball.

The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart
This book started out as a wordless graphic novel but ended up with a few words by about the middle of the book.  It was not my favorite book.

Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! An Alphabet Caper by Mike Twohy
Each page is a letter from the alphabet with a picture and a word to go with that letter.  It's a very simple book.  It's great for those learning letters and beginning sounds.

The Quickest Kid in Clarksvill by Pat Zietlow Miller
The main character is a fast runner but her shoes have holes in them.  A new girl comes to town who has brand new shoes and challenge the girl to races.  Both girls race to see an Olympic running champion who comes to town.

These last couple of books I do not remember well enough to write a blurb about them... so that should tell you something.

The Truth About My Unbelieveable Summer... by Davide Cali

The Plan by Alison Paul

For my own reading pleasure:

I finished Vendetta by Fern Michaels.  I really like this series.  There's 20 something books in the series so I'm going to pace myself so I don't get sick of it.

I know the I Survived Series is junior lit and technically is work related BUT I read two of them for pleasure this weekend.  Each book took me about an hour to finish.  So they are super easy reads.  I haven't picked up any of these books before because none of the historical events interested me but when I saw The Attacks of September 11th, 2001 and The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 I knew I had to read both of them.  And after reading both I've decided I "need" to read the other books.  I think The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 or the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 will be next.  My students love these books and now I see why.  I've only had one student tell me she didn't like the series because it's too scary but she is a younger students who has a very high reading level.  I think her age has something to do with her thinking the books are too scary.

Library Lessons

My library lesson last week:

I read Meet the Parents by Peter Benly to Pre-k through 2nd.  This book is on our Texas 2x2 list for 2015.  It's a rhythmic book.  Students pointed how the words that rhymed as I read it.  After reading it I asked two questions.

1) What do your parents do that you don't like?
I got all kinds of answers but my two favorites were "Making me pee before bed." and "Making me bath.  I hate that."  Kids crack me up!  I did have one student say "When they cuss at me."  That broke my heart!

2) What do your parents do that's fun?
I got all kinds of answers by my favorite was "Read to me."

For 3rd through 5th grade I read Easter poems I make into this prezi.




I included some serious poems as well as some silly poems.  Students really liked the Easter Bunny Poop poem.  You can read about a funny thing a students said after reading this poem here.

Easter

When Reagan was born 12 years ago we started a new tradition. My parents, my in-laws and my granny (and later her boyfriend- she hates when I call him that. Ha!) came to our house for Easter lunch. When we were in Houston my in-laws came for the weekend and my parents and granny met us at our church. Now that we are in Nacogdoches my parents stay with us for the weekend and my granny and her boyfriend and my in-laws meet us at worship. 

This is the first Easter in 13 years that my granny didn't come. Long story short she fractured her spine about 5 weeks ago and just couldn't make the 3 hour trip here. My mom pack her and her boyfriend some leftovers and are going to drop them off on their way back to Houston. 

Here are a few picture of my parents and us. We always change clothes after worship before we realize we didn't take pictures with my in-law. We do this every Easter. Seriously, every year. 

Wordless Wednesday

Our Babies

The top picture popped up on my Facebook Memories the other day. That shot was taken at Reagan's 2nd birthday party. It was Arthur themed. Everyone dressed in a yellow shirt, blue jeans and red shoes.  

Boy did she love Arter (Arthur) and DeeDuba (D.W.)! That year one of our friends gave her a set of Arthur DVDs. We must of watched those a thousand times! 

The little boy is my best friend's oldest son, Noah. He was 2 1/2 years old. They were great little playmates. 

The bottom picture is of them this past Christmas. Reagan was 12 and Noah was a month from being 13. 

As I've been looking at these pictures I realize they were both taken at my parent's house. 

We hope they marry so we can be family forever! Ha!

Mani & Pedi

Reagan and I got manis and pedis yesterday. I typically want some fancy nails. But this time I wanted something plain. 

Then my friend showed me the glitter polish... I went with plain glitter. Ha!

Reagan wanted fancy. As you can see she added dots and painted some nails different colors. 

We got a pedi too but I will spare y'all pictures of our feet. 

Our hands and feet are ready for Easter!

Student Funnies

I had a different post ready for today but some funnies happened in my library this morning and I decided to blog about them instead.

The clinic is right off the library so if I need to quickly use the bathroom I run in there.

So like any other day I run into the clinic to use the bathroom, shut and lock the door and start to unbutton my jeans... then I hear a little, high pitch voice say "Hi!".

I turn around and there was a little Pre-k girl standing in the corner behind the door.  I just started laughing and hightailed it out of the there.

The nurse, from the back of the clinic calls out, "You didn't know she was in there?"

I am super duper thankful I did not drop my pants THEN turn around and see the little girl.  That is not a phone call home I want to make!  Ha!

I've been reading Easter poems to 3rd-5th.  I have some serious ones and some funny ones (I'll blog about this lesson on Monday).  One poem is called Easter Bunny Poop.  I don't mind bathroom humor... I actually find it kind of funny myself so I like to add some of the "cleaner" bathroom humor occasionally to my lessons.  After reading the poem most classes make the connection to the movie "Hop".  The bunny in "Hop" poops jelly beans... which causes more giggles.  One 4th grader said "I wish I pooped money."  I doubled over laughing.  Don't we all sweet heart, don't we all.

Today I am thankful for students who make me laugh and love my job just a little more.

Attack of the Bug!

At school today I pulled my clipboard out of the magazine holder I keep it in and silver fish came running out at me. I screamed and tried to get it with a tissue. But it hit the floor so I tried to stomp on it.

A cute, little 1st grade boy came running hollering "I'll get it! I'll get it, Mrs. Taylor!"

I told him "I think I got it but it might of run under the printer."

Then I felt something run across my foot.  I screamed, jumped, threw my hands in the air. And. Smacked. The. Poor. Kid. Right. In. The. Face.

He grabbed his face repeatedly saying "I'm ok! I'm ok!"

Sheesh! I felt terrible!  I grabbed him in a hug and inspected his face.  He seemed ok to me but I felt just awful!

Welcome to the first week back from Spring Break! Ha!

Wordless Wednesday

My BFF and I took the kids ice skating during Spring Break (her oldest was in London for his 13th birthday with his dad).

Reagan and Luke ice skated while we hung out with the Micah. He's too young to ice skate without an adult.  Neither Emily or I felt comfortable on ice skates to help him.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Last week was Spring Break.  I got to read a lot.  I finished two books, started one but didn't like it so I put it down and started another one that I do like.

I'm on a Fern Michaels kick.  My principal's wife told me about Michaels' series The Sisterhood.  It sounded like a series I'd like so I started it.  As I've been reading it I've been getting the feeling that I've read these books before.  Actually at this point I'm pretty sure I have read these books before.  I'm still reading them because I don't really remember them.  Ha!

I like that the books are about strong women taking care of business.  Taking care of themselves and each other.

The dialogue can be a little goofy but still fun.

There are a ton of books in this series, like 20 something books.  I've been trying to read books that aren't in the series in between books in this series so that I don't get bored with The Sisterhood.

I did that with the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  I read all 20 something books she had out at the time one summer.  I was kind of tired of the series by book 11 or 12 but I kept reading the books because I wanted to find out what happened and I couldn't make myself stop.

I'd like to take my time with this series.

If you like series read this one!

What are you reading?

Shout Out Sunday

My shout out this Sunday is to time.

Time.

There's just never enough of it is there?

But this past week, Spring Break, I've done everything I wanted to do and some of what I needed to do. And I had enough time for all of it.  The stuff I needed to do that I didn't do... I chose not to do it.  Just cuz I didn't feel like adulting.

I went to Houston and visited my parents, grandmothers, and my BFF.  My mom, Reagan and I went to Waco to Magnolia Market at the Silos.  We went to Tyler to visit my fabulous in-laws and nephew.  Reagan and I saw Divergent: Allegiants.  I read three books and watched some Netflix/Hulu.

I had time for everything I wanted/needed to do.

But as usual, I wish I had more time.  I wish Spring Break was longer.  As much as I love my job, I do love the lazy days of Spring Break.

How Do You Identify Yourself?

There are so many ways to identify yourself.  

• where you grew up
• where you work
• if you're married or not
• if you're a mom/daughter/granddaughter/aunt/niece etc
• if you're religious or not
• by you're political beliefs
• if you're a reader or not

You can also identify yourself by a Hogwarts House.  Yes folks, a fictional wizarding school that sorts you into houses while you attend school there for seven years.

When Pottermore started years ago I took the sorting test and got sorted into Hufflepuff.  I admit, I was a little disappointed.  But I read all the writings on Hufflepuff and some really awesome wizards and witches came from this house. The qualities listed really do describe me: Hufflepuffs value hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play. As much as I wanted to be in Gryffindor  I think Hufflepuff really does fits me.

I listen to Mugglecast (a Harry Potter podcast).  One of the casters said he thought that the Pottermore test was rigged to evenly distribute people into houses so that when the houses compete with each other the numbers would be even.  So I started to question my Hufflepuffness.

I took another test found on the Internet.  This test said I was Ravenclaw with Hufflepuff in a close second.  I was shocked!  I have never identified with Ravenclaw.  I am not GT.  I don't like studying.  I do like learning but I'm not a nerd about it. (Sorry if I've offended any Ravenclaws out there!)  So I started questioning everything I knew about myself.  Was I a Ravenclaw?  Did that house fit me better?  Could this be right?!?

A Syltherin friend of mine reminded me that the Sorting Hat would let me pick which house I want to be in if I didn't like what it chose for me.  She reminded me if I didn't feel like a Raveclaw I could choose to be a Hufflepuff. That relieved some of my anxieties about the Ravenclaw sorting.

Then Pottermore changed their website and we were able to retake the sorting test.  I jumped on this!  I retook the test and... I'm still a Hufflepuff!  This confirmed what I've felt inside myself since first coming to terms with my first Hufflepuff sorting.  I am loyal and hard working, I play fair... I need to work on the patience part but 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

Deep thoughts by Linsey.

Divergent: Allegiant

Reagan and I saw Allegiant yesterday. When the books first came out Reagan was to young to read them. She was still to young for the movies when Divergent first came out too. So this week we watched the other two movies so she'd be ready for this movie. After the movie she said she was going to read the books this summer. 

I don't reread books before I see the movie anymore. I find I enjoy the movie more if I'm not constantly comparing it to the book. I can enjoy the movie for what it is... a lesser version of the book. Ha!

That being said I liked the movie. It's been years since I read the book so I don't remember a lot of details. I did catch a couple of differences though. 

And somehow I missed that this was a two part movie. I don't know how I missed that.  It's the trend now, isn't it? So when the movie ended I was super disappointed. The end was nothing like the book. Except... it's not really the end. There's another movie coming out. 

Magnolia Silo's

Reagan, Mom, and I went to Magnolia Market at the Silo's in Waco on Monday. The drive from Houston to Waco was super easy!  

We got there about 11:30. The line was already wrapped around the block. Parking was horrendous! We drove around for a long time. I took a picture where we parked just in case we forgot how to get back to my truck. Ha!

 

Here we are with our loot. I got a pitcher. I like how it has the "measurements" on it. Reagan got a small chalk board to put above her desk. And Mom got a big chalk board on a stand for her kitchen. 

I love this book art! I'm trying to think of a spot to put something similar in my house. 

We ate at the food trucks on the property. We decided on gourmet grill cheese. If you know me or read my blog you know that I love New Kids On The Block (Donnie is my favorite). So when I saw this sign I was school girl giddy and so disappointed that I was older than 10 and couldn't order from this menu. Ha!

We all got the same grilled cheese. It was delicious!

We had a lot of fun and I'm glad we went. But I was disappointed at how small the shop was and we thought there  be a bigger variety. I don't think I'd make a special trip out there again but if a friend asked me to go with them I'd go back. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I finished When She Woke by Hillary Jordan last night. I stayed up an hour later than normal to finish it. Hey, it's Spring Break.  I can stay up if I want to. 

I really liked this book. It's described as a bit of a fable but I thought it was more of a dystopia. 

Hannah lives in a new America where criminals are chromed a certain color depending on their crimes. Hannah is chromed red for murder. We follow her life after chroming. We watch her being degraded, nearly sold into slavery and joining a group of rebels. I highly recommend this book!  

I'm starting Payback by Fern Michaels tonight. 

Shout Out Sunday

This day has been filled with grandparents. 

We went to worship with my paternal grandma this morning. Reagan, at 5 foot 1 inch is taller then Grandma and has been for a couple of inches now. Reagan loves that. My papa couldn't make it. His mind isn't what it used to be. He doesn't recognize us anymore. That's a bit rough but my other papa died with Alzheimer's so I'm used to it. Or as used to it as one can be. It was good to see Grandma this morning. 

Then we headed to The Woodlands to see my maternal granny. Granny fractured her spine while she was taking the mattress pad off her bed to wash it three weeks ago. There's not much the doctors can do but give her pain meds and let her heal on her own. She has an extreme high pain tolerance. She has about five more weeks before she's healed. My parents say she look 100% better than last weekend. So she's on the mend. 

Since we moved 7 years ago to a town with no family in it I feel like I never have enough time for family. And my grandparents are very important to me. I'm glad I got to see some of them today. 

Spring Break-The Beginning

It's the start of Spring Break and we are off to a great start! 

Reagan and I are in Houston. The first thing we did this morning was go shopping with my mom. I got some cute outfits and spent all my gift cards. 

My dad grilled for dinner and we celebrated his birthday early. Monday we are going to Waco to go to Chip and Joanna Gains' shop. I can't wait!

Motion Sickness

I used to laugh at my dad for getting motion sick. Like super duper motion sick. Then I got pregnant with Reagan and got motion sick all the time. All the time. I still get motion sick but not nearly as bad as she I was pregnant. 

When I worked for the West-10 Region Day School Program for the Deaf in Katy I rode with my supervisor across Houston (while pregnant) to see one of our deafblind student get his cochlear implant turned on (an awesome thing to see!). She kept doing "brakes, no brakes". I was two seconds from puking all over my supervisor's car. How mortifying would that of been?! 

So I had two choices. 1) puke all over the car or 2) tell my supervisor how to drive. I decided in the grand scheme of things it was less embarrassing to tell my supervisor to stop doing "brakes, no brakes" than to puke in her car. 

I took a deep breath and explained I was going to puke all over her car if she didn't stop "brakes, no brakes". She laughed. Laughed! And said her son tells her that all the time and quickly fixed her driving. When I told Jay that story he was mortified that I told my supervisor how to drive. But really?! What were my choices here? Ha!

I hadn't intended to tell that story. So back to my dad. 

My dad and I used to sit on this swing. I'd be in charge of the swinging motion... he'd quickly tell me I was making him motion sick and would take over the motion. I would laugh and tease him about it. 

While in Houston at my parents house my dad and I swang on the swing. The weather was beautiful.  I let him be in charge of the swinging motion since I know it's better for him. Yet I quickly had to tell him he was making me motion sick. Oh how the tables have turned! 

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

It's been raining like crazy here in East Texas.  Like "get out of my truck and my pants are immediately soaked" kind of rain.

So today I am thankful for rain gear.  

At the house I have a pair of duck shoes and a yellow rain coat to get me from my house to school. But sometimes it's not raining in the morning so I don't bring my rain gear with me.  Then I'm stuck at school with no protection but a umbrella.  And as nice as umbrella's are when you're doing car duty you just need more than an umbrella.

So I got some rain boots handed down from my daughter's BFF (she out grew them at around 10 years old... and they fit me perfectly) once she out grew them and I bought another rain coat (green this time).  Both stay in my office for when it starts raining at school.

Talking with some of the paraprofessionals I work with I realized that not everyone that has a job has the luxury of buying rain gear much less two sets of rain gear.  So not only am I thankful for my rain gear.  I'm also thankful I have the means to buy two sets.

                                  

I Am From....

Last March (my first time Slicing) I did an "I am..." poem.  In the comments some one said it reminded them of the "I Am From..." poem.  So googled it and found all kinds of examples.  I randomly chose one to do.

As I was filling in the blanks I thought this would be a fun 1st day/week of school "get to know you" activity.  Teachers and students could learn so much about each other.  It also works on writing and reading skills well as poetry.  Classes could do one at the beginning of the year and one at the end of the year and see if "where they'rey from" had changed.

Doing this exercise also reminded me how thankful I am for where I came from.

Anyway... here's mine:

I Am From:

I am from Cabbage Patch Kids

From cassette tapes, boom boxes, and New Kids On The Block

I am from a three bedroom house

with two bathrooms

I am from bushes outside my window

That kept me from sneaking out of my house

I am from a 1985 white Silverado Chevy and a 21 foot camper

From Ellisons and Lindseys

and from blunt people and readers

from savers

I am from campers

From steak and potato salad

From Desert Storm

And from the Live Stock Show and Rodeo

                     A pink teddy bear

I am from the moments we played cards as a family
                     and went camping with family and friends

Book Fair

My Book Fair was this week.  I'm always happy to see it come but boy am I happy to see it go!

This time Scholastic sent me two more cases and a ton more boxes.  I was so excited to hear this because it means that in the last year and half I've sold a lot more books.  Which is awesome!!! But when my family and I started putting everything out and it felt like we'd never be finished... I was not so excited.  Ha!

I'm so exhausted the end of every day during the Book Fair.  But seeing the students' excitement makes it so worth it.  

Thursday we had a literacy night at school.  Reagan came up to help me run the Book Fair.  I couldn't do it without her help!

Friday we have half a day before Spring Break so I closed the Book Fair at 11:45.  Unfortunately Jay had to be in Houston to do a funeral this afternoon so I paid one of our college students from church to come help me pack up.  He's out of work this semester so this is my contribution to his work fund.  

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

My husband is notorious for stealing eating Reagan's and my chocolate.  There's not much more annoying that craving that piece of chocolate you know is in the pantry, going to go get it and... it's gone. #FirstWorldProblems Jay almost always replaces the chocolate but it's not until the next day.  Which isn't really helpful in the moment but still... it's nice of him?

It's become a family joke.  If chocolate comes up missing, Dad gets blamed.  Reagan and I hide chocolate.  Dad's found some of our hiding places.  We secretly eat chocolate in the bathroom, out on the deck, in the car on the way back from buying the chocolate.  Some times he catches us and begs for a bite.                                                                                                                                                              
I found this gem of a picture in the photo stream that Reagan and I share.  When I asked her about it and I got this story:  

Dear ol' daddy found Reagan's Kit-Kat in the refrigerator.  He took it, ran to the bedroom, took a selfie, and texted it to her. When she got the text she took off screaming through the house.  Some wrestling occurred.  Kit-Kat strips were counted.  Reagan realized Dad had not eaten any of the Kit-Kat but was just playing a joke on her.                                                                      

Messing with someone else's chocolate is serious offense in our house!

What I Could of Been

I love talking to our school counselor.  Talking about everything but especially about the brain and why people do the things they do and act the way they act.  I love reading books about the brain specifically mental disorders.  I still think about the book The Price of Silence by Liza Long.  The brain is fascinating!

While talking to the counselor about why our students behave the way they do she said that she might of become a doctor but she would of had to work at it (not too much work but hard studying).  Being a counselor came easy for her.

That made me think.

When I was a senior in high school we did a research project.  We had to research the job we wanted when we graduated.  I researched psychology.  I made a 102 on that project.  I still have the folder. Ha!

But when it really came down to it I couldn't see myself becoming a psychologist.  Psychology would of been work I had to really work at.

I wanted to do something that still interested me but also came a bit easier for me. So I became a teacher.  Specifically a teacher of the Deaf.

I LOVED being a teacher of the Deaf. But I also knew that there was a 5 year burn out rate so I wanted to get my master's degree.

I thought I wanted it in diagnostics.  I love testing, analyzing, and labeling... for a lack of a better word.  But then I went to my first IEP meeting and quickly decided that becoming a diagnostician was NOT for me.  Oh the paperwork! Oh the law! Oh no to it all!

So I took a year and looked around the school (per my mom's suggestion) and decided that the library was for me.  So I got my masters in library science.

If I hadn't become a teacher I would of been a psychologist.  But I would of had to work at it.  I could of done it but I'm glad I didn't.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I think I might be getting back into reading groove.  I've been on a reading funk since summer.  It seemed every book I picked up I put back down after 50 pages because I just couldn't get into it.  But I think that changed this weekend.

I read another chapter in Raising Grateful Kids in a Entitled World by Kristen Welch.  It's an excellent book on how to raise grateful kids in a world that teaches entitlement.  It's not a book that I can sit and read in one setting though many who participated in the book launch did.  I like to think on chapters.  Think if we are already doing what Welch is suggesting or if we are failing and need to change our behavior.  

I also read The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks.  It is creeptastic! This book is my worst nightmare for myself, my family and friends.  This book is sick and wrong on so many levels (that really makes you want to read it doesn't it?).  The only thing I would of like to of known was who took these people, how they were chosen and why the person made the chose that was made in the end.  But since this book was told in first person by someone in the bunker we can't know what's happening outside.  If you like psychological thrillers this book is perfect for you!

I started When She Woke by Hillary Jordan.  I'm hooked!  Hannah wakes up in a wall to wall mirrored room.  Her body is solid red and her every movement is being broadcasted across America.  We slowly start to learn her crime which is why she's in this mirrored room and why she's red.  It's a bit of a fable and a bit of dystopia all rolled into one.  I did not want to stop reading last night but if I don't get my 8 hours of beauty sleep I'm a huge grump the next day so I very unwillingly put the book down (actually I closed my Kindle app) and went to sleep thinking about this book.  I can not wait to finish this book!

Book Places

I accidentally ended up on my Facebook home page.  I got tickled when I saw that my profile picture and my banner picture are both the setting of fiction books.  It fits me perfectly as a book lover and a librarian.

My profile picture is of my daughter and me at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. We went their last November for vacation and had a blast!  In this picture we are in Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts ride.

My banner pictures is of my family in the Olympic Mountains in Washington.  It's the drive between Port Angeles and Fork.  Yeap, the setting of Twilight.  Yes, I drug my family to Forks for a family vacation (we did other stuff too).  When Reagan called her grandparents to tell them we made it she told my mom "Mom's going crazy here!"  She was 6 years old at the time.  I still laugh about that.

Shout Out Sundays

This Sunday I want to give a shout out to my Nac girls, as I call them.

We all go to church together.  But we are all from different places.  Some of us are at different places in our lives (kids, no kids, fairly new in a career, well established in our careers, married 5 years or less, married 10 plus years etc).  Some of us are older and some of us are younger.  But we all get along.

I would not survive without these ladies in my life.  I treasure each of them.  I love their children and their husbands.  I love what each of them adds to my life.

We had a much needed (and never enough of) girls night to celebrate a birthday minus one friend because she was heading to Disney.  I mean really?  Who picks Disney over Girls' Night? Ha!

Per our usual we ate at Pepper Jacks then headed to Starbucks for coffee and birthday pie.

We talk.  We laugh (a lot).  We have a great time together.

"Some people make you laugh a little louder, your smile a little brighter, and your life a little better." -Anonymous

If you have special people in your live remember to tell them that.  They know it.  But it's always nice to hear it.

Read Across America Week

 

It's Read Across America aka Dr. Seuss Week in Texas. This week we are celebrating by wearing something each day that represents a Dr. Seuss book.                                                                                                                                                      
I wish I could post pictures of my students here.  They were so cute this week all dressed up.  Instead you get pictures of me. Except for crazy sock day.  I can post pictures of their feet. Ha!                                                                                                                                                                      
Monday was The 500 Hat of Bartholomew Cubbins. We wore a hat/cap. It was awesome not to have to do my hair that morning.

Tuesday was crazy socks day for Fox in Socks. We had some awesome socks! Can you guess which socks are mine? :)                                                                                                                                              

Wacky Wednesday! We wore mix matched clothes. Some of our teachers and students really got into it! I got some good ideas for next year. 

Thursday was wear red, white, and blue for Cat in the Hat.  Students wore their regular uniform with their red, white, or blue polo type shirt.

Friday was Oh, The Places You'll Go, we wore college shirts. I wore this shirt a couple of years ago at a different school. One of the paraprofessionals (she has since passed away) said "I know you didn't go to that school."  I didn't know if I should be offended because she didn't think I was that smart enough or just laugh... because she's right.  I chose to laugh.                                                                                                       I brought my personal copy of Oh, the Places You'll Go because my library doesn't have it.  Some family friends who I kid-sat for for two summers gave it to me when I graduated high school back in 1995.  The wife wrote a very touching poem and glued it to the inside page of the book.  I read it this morning to myself.  I was telling 1st grade about it.  They asked me to read it out loud.  So I did.  And I teared up. Something about hearing the words out loud really touched me.  What a special gift!